Difficulties Sikhs Faced in the First Sikh Funeral in Canada

Today, we are fortunate to have the luxuries in Canada and often forget the struggles of our fore-fathers. The early Sikhs in Canada suffered through very harsh circumstances even after death.

A Sikh died died while working at the False Creek Lumber Mills in Vancouver but the company or the the town didn’t allow his cremation funeral to happen. The Sikh approached the mayor of Vancover Alexander Bethune to request the cremation funeral to happen but he also refused.

The Sikhs held a meeting and decided to do the funeral in the darkness of the night. The Sikhs cremated the body at night near Kitslano/Jericho Beach.

Funeral for first Sikh who died in Vancouver in 1907. No permission was granted by the mayor or others. They took the deceased to a distant forest in the middle of the night and cremated the body in the morning. (Photo 13291 Courtesy Vancouver Public Library.)